Senior Project Engineer

Novus Foods; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Novus Foods is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to provide technical leadership for capital projects affecting food manufacturing equipment and plant infrastructure. You will manage projects from concept through production handover, coordinating internal teams and external vendors to meet scope, schedule, and budget.

Responsibilities include defining change points, evaluating ROI, developing layouts, and driving enhancements to product flow and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, mechanical preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple inputs from operations, maintenance, quality, marketing, and R&D.
• Proficiency with MS Office and MS Project; knowledge of Visio is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital projects for food manufacturing equipment and plant infrastructure.
• Coordinate with operations, maintenance, quality, and outside vendors.
• Manage project scope, timeline, budget, and acceptance criteria.
• Develop 2D layout options and functional concepts.
• Quantify ROI and define performance metrics for projects.
• Travel up to 30% to ensure successful implementation and startup.

Skills

Project Management

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechanical preferred)

Tools

AutoCAD

Job description

The Senior Project Engineer will provide technical leadership for capital projects related to food manufacturing equipment and supporting plant infrastructure. The Sr PE will manage engineering projects related to changes in production capacity, automation, quality, and efficiency, by utilizing resources both internally and with outside equipment vendors and contractors.This role supports the full project lifecycle including concept definition, cost-benefit valuation, equipment specification, build, installation, implementation, and production handover.

Primary Focus

• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, quality, and outside vendors to deliver engineered solutions that satisfy customer demands
• Ensure project engineering deliverables and schedules are met on time and in budget
• Minimize schedule impacts and technical risk by foreseeing and proactively addressing obstacles to implementation
• Oversee construction activities, equipment and conveyance installations, and coordinate vendor resources
• Serve as the primary window between the plant and external solutions providers
• Project manage plant utility projects that ensure target environmental conditions for food manufacturing
• Ensure solutions are targeted towards product integrity, reliability, and cost effectiveness
• Routinely investigate, define, and improve equipment, supporting utilities, and systems within the facility
• Define, supervise, and manage installations for internal improvements projects

Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyze processes and plant conditions to define required change points
• Provide expertise and direction setting for technical solutions
• Develop and iterate 2D layout options and functional concepts
• Identify packaging, production, and environmental conditions efficiency opportunities
• Quantify ROI of proposed projects
• Define production and quality performance metrics
• Define current vs. targe plant conditions and performance
• Research new products, solutions and procedures as required
• Review packaging material changes to determine scope of impact to equipment and/or line controls
• Manage projects within defined scope, timeline, budget and acceptance
• Execute delivery in accordance with project schedules
• Coordinate schedules and scopes of multiple outside vendors to achieve targets
• Clearly organize and deliver product and packaging information and samples to equipment vendors
• Organize and deliver plant layout information, utilities specs, and other project related metrics to supporting vendors
• Routinely communicate project vision, status, expectations, timeline, and cost to key stakeholders
• Support weekend and holiday installation schedules
• Manage construction activities and equipment installations
• Document engineering and manufacturing procedures and change points as required
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in engineering, with priority given to Mechanical Engineering
• Minimum 3+ years of engineering projects experience, with priority given to food, pharma, or nutraceutical background
• Certified Project Manager (CPM) or Project Management Professional (PMP) a plus
• Ability to receive and factor in multiple inputs simultaneously, including operations, maintenance quality, marketing, engineering, R&D, and field services
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate technical problems and solutions
• Creating and understanding mechanical layouts, schematics and 2D & 3D AutoCAD drawings
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment
• Understand, develop, and make improvement to product flow and sequence of operations
• Ability to identify priority-ranked workflow to focus on highest impact areas
• Be a willing self-starter
• Possess a long-term quality mindset
• Dynamic and responsible person with a good sense of work organization
• Possess a high degree of integrity and conscientiousness
• Team spirit, rigor, creativity, and versatility
• Ability to work under high-demand project delivery schedules
• Proficiency in Microsoft's Office products (MS Project, Visio, and advanced Excel)
• Proficiency in MS SmartSheets a plus
• Ability to travel 30+% as necessary to ensure successful project implementation and startup
• Project Management
• Problem Solving/Analytical
• Presentations Skills
• Teamwork
• Organizational Skills
• Communications Proficiency (to include written, verbal and negotiation)
• Time Management (manage priorities and workflow)